- Written by Barra Best
- BBC News NI Weathercaster
image source, Getty Images
Motorists are being warned to expect dangerous conditions after Storm Gerrit arrived in Northern Ireland on Wednesday morning.
A yellow weather warning for strong winds and heavy rain has been issued until 10pm Japan time.
In Northern Ireland, the Met Office warned of up to 60mm of rain and strong wind gusts in some areas.
Aurochhead in County Down recorded Northern Ireland’s strongest wind gusts as the storm moved east.
Wind speeds reached 102mph, with a gust of 59mph recorded in Ballypatrick, County Antrim.
31mm of rain was recorded in Murlock, County Down, while 29mm fell in Stormont, Lough Fair, County Tyrone and Banagher, County Londonderry.
Possibility of flooding
Weather warnings for both wind and rain have also been issued across the Republic of Ireland by the Irish Met Office, Met Éireann.
An orange wind warning has been issued for counties Cork, Kerry, Clare and Galway from 1500 GMT on Wednesday until midnight.
Met Eireann warned of strong to gale westerly winds, adding that coastal flooding was possible.
A yellow wind and rain warning is in effect across the country until midnight.
The arrival of Storm Gerrit marks the earliest arrival of the season for the letter G storm.
The previous earliest was Storm Georgina on 23 January 2018 and the latest was Storm Gareth on 11 March 2019.
This is also the fourth time since naming began in 2015 that a storm’s name has reached the letter G.